Paul Dano, method actor, dressed as a woman to prepare for his role in “The Extra Man,” a film based on Jonathan Ames‘ novel co-starring Kevin Kline and Katie Holmes. To understand the motivations of his cross-dressing character Louis, Dano booked a private lesson in Febru ary with Veronica Vera of Miss Vera’s Fin ishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls. Vera said Dano seemed uncom fortable about wearing drag. “He was a little shy about removing his clothes,” Vera told us. “He said, ‘I don’t know if I really want to take off my shirt, I’m kind of skinny.’ And so I said everyone has body issues and I ripped his shirt off.” By the end of the two-hour session, Dano was wearing a midnight blue negli gee and an auburn wig. Later that week, Dano and Ames went to a transvestite beauty contest at Nowhere, an East Village bar, and watched trannies strut their stuff. Dano’s reps didn’t get back to us.